Holding Onto Hope
by ayjaydee
Summary: Two of the boys are kidnapped in New York by someone who wants revenge. Movie verse with reference to tv verse. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Thunderbirds. However, the plot line and non-canon characters are mine.**

**I finally have put this up! Hopefully the pressure of putting up more chapters for you guys will help me finish it. I apologize ahead of time for any big lapses between chapters because I have to finish the darn thing! Anyhoo, enjoy it for now. Also, all of the chapters will be pretty short, which I'm sorry for, but those happen to be the best places to break it.  
**

Chapter One

Scott POV

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­It all started one warm day on Tracy Island. Everyone was relaxing. Gordon was swimming lengths in the pool. Virgil was painting a mural on the wall next to the pool and Scott was quietly reading a book. John was not with them. He was up on Thunderbird 5 doing his shift; monitoring Earth. That's when they heard it.

"You will go and that's FINAL!" yelled their father's voice.

The next thing they knew, they saw a very stormy Alan come bursting from Jeff Tracy's office. He was muttering incoherently and his hands were balled into fists. Alan, in the midst of his anger, did not see Gordon's towel on the ground and tripped over it, which sent him sprawling on the floor. This prompted more muttering, which Scott took to be curse words in Spanish. His gaze shifted to Gordon. _I_ _wonder who taught him that,_ Scott thought sarcastically. He changed his opinion as he also heard some Russian and German thrown in. _Nope, must have been John._

"Hey Sprout, what's up? What happened in there?" he asked, pointing to their father's office.

It was obviously the wrong thing to ask. Alan looked at Scott with a fixed glare. "What's up? I'll tell you what's up. I have to go with you," here he jabbed a finger in Scott's direction, "to New York for a week. That's 'what's up'!"

Scott was getting kind of annoyed at this point, but not with Alan. He was mostly annoyed with his father. He knew that he almost always agreed with his dad, but right now Scott knew that Alan was genuinely frustrated and didn't blame him.

It had only been a couple of months since the Hood's attack. Alan had come home for the summer and had immediately started taking up his responsibility as a Thunderbird. Everyone was still recovering from the incident of the Hood, but the one who was taking it the hardest was Alan. His father had told them, with Alan out of earshot, what had happened at the Bank of London. He knew that it had cost his father to relive his baby boy almost choking to death in front of him, but he had done it so that his sons would know what caused Alan so much unease.

Flashback

_Scott walked into his father's office and found Gordon, Virgil, and his dad waiting for him. He also noticed John was there via video-link. He joined his brothers on the couch and waited for Jeff to speak. _

"_I gathered all of you here because.." his voice faltered. He took a deep breath. "I want to tell you what happened at the Bank of London while you guys were clearing the accident scene," he managed to get out. All of them looked surprised, but gave him nods._

"_When we arrived at the bank, I told Alan and the others to stay with Parker so I could go find Penny. When I found her the Hood showed up behind me and forced me into the cage Penny was in. By this time Alan had appeared and tried to attack him but the Hood threw him against the wall." Scott's breath hitched. "I told Alan to stay back but he got up and came towards the Hood again. That's when..." Jeff took another breath and said in a hoarse whisper, "The Hood picked Alan up with his powers and started choking him to death."_

_At this statement there came an angry growl from Scott. He wanted nothing more than to hurt the man who hurt his little brother. He looked at the others. His father's eyes were brimming with tears; Gordon sat rigidly with pain and rage radiating from his eyes. Virgil looked frozen in shock and John also had tears in his eyes. _

"_The Hood finally let go and…well, some other stuff happened, but it was Tin-Tin who saved him. She used her powers to take the Hood down, but it was Alan who saved the Hood." _

_Shocked silence met their dad but slowly pride crept over their faces. Their little brother had saved his worst enemy. He had done his job._

"_Thanks for letting us know," Scott said._

_End Flashback_

Ever since the attack, Jeff had done everything to make sure his sons did stuff with each other. Like now, this didn't always go over well. Scott knew that Alan had made plans with Tin-Tin and Fermat that week and their dad had shot them down so Alan could be with Scott. Scott didn't really mind but he knew Alan was ticked. He tried to calm his raging brother.

"Um, Alan, I know that you had plans but, well, we both know your not getting out of this and I think dad really just doesn't want me going alone. Not after everything that's happened. I really wouldn't mind you coming along," he said, hoping it would help.

Just like that, Alan sat down on the chair next to Scott with a sigh. "I know Scott, and I'm sorry I blew up at you. I'm just so frustrated! I just…" his voice trailed off. "Never mind. I have stuff I've got to do. I'll see you guys later." And with that, he was gone.

"Well, that certainly went well didn't it?" said Gordon as he climbed out of the pool.

"Yeah, quite well. Gosh, does anyone know what goes on in the mind of Alan Tracy?" That was Virgil. He had set down his paint and taken up the spot his brother recently vacated. That set them all laughing, lifting the tension.

"No, Virge," said Scott, "I don't think anyone could ever understand Alan's mind. That's why he's always so full of surprises. I mean, well, he's changed. One minute he's his old self, being mad and obnoxious, but the next… it's like he's got an alter ego. He becomes totally mature and focused. It's so weird to see him like that."

The two others nodded their heads. "Let's just hope it only gets better," Gordon said.

**Love or hate? Couldn't care less? Let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews on the first chapter! They were very encouraging. Once again, I do not own the Thunderbirds, sadly. But as always the plot line and non-canon characters are mine. **

Alan paced around his room agitatedly as he threw a pair of faded jeans into the suitcase on his bed. He paused suddenly, sat down on the edge of the mattress and sighed. As he lay back wearily, the teenager allowed himself to think about the trip he was now signed up for.

This just wasn't fair! He had spent so much time organizing stuff for his week with Tin-Tin and Fermat that it just didn't seem right to get it taken away from him. He knew that he was being selfish, and that he could do everything the next week, but really, all he wanted to do was be close to Tin-Tin. He wanted to tell her how much he liked her; how much he wanted her to like him in return. Alan had almost let it slip to his brothers. He had been about to say, "I just want to tell Tin-Tin how I feel." If he had said that out loud, his siblings would have never let him live it down.

Alan sighed again as he thought back over the last few months. The attack over spring break had shown him so much about his family that he had never realized. For the first time, Alan felt accepted. Of course, Alan knew that it was partly his fault. If he hadn't been so pig-headed and whiny his brothers might have been closer to him. And the change was all because some psycho tried to kill his family. He winced and sat up.

The teen shuddered as he remembered the chilling voice that still haunted his nightmares. It had been really hard to hide the fact that he was still having these dreams from his family, but Alan didn't really see the need to tell them about it. _I can handle it. It would just worry them unnecessarily_, he told himself, trying to push away the feeling of apprehension in his chest.

TB

The next morning Alan found himself being gently shaken awake by Scott. He grumbled and turned away. He heard his brother laugh. Alan was usually one of the earlier risers in the family but this morning he just didn't want to leave the warm comfort of his sheets.

"Come on Sprout. We have to leave in a couple of hours and grumbling about it won't help." Scott prodded his youngest sibling in the shoulder. "Come on little brother, I want to see that beautiful mug of yours," Scott said in a singsong voice.

"Go 'way. An' don' call me 'prout," Alan mumbled into his pillow. _Ugh, why did Scott have to choose now to be annoying? Geez, I must have gotten only a couple hours of sleep last night because of that horrible dream I had._

Scott raised an eyebrow playfully. "What's that Alan? I can't seem to hear you."

Alan sat halfway up and snapped at his brother. "I said, go away and don't call me Sprout!"

Scott took a step back and frowned. "Did you sleep okay last night?" he asked. Alan muttered something. Why did his brothers have to mother him so much? _It's because they care about you, _said a voice inside his head. He was still too grumpy to listen to it though.

"What did you say?"

Alan shrugged his shoulders and swung his legs over the edge of the bed so he was sitting up. "Forget about it Scott."

"Alan…" The worry was evident in his voice.

"I said, forget about it!" Alan could hear the anger in his voice and forced himself to calm down. Now was not the time and place to cause a scene and he didn't want to worry Scott any more than he already was. "If I want to talk about it then I'll tell you, but right now there's nothing to tell." He kept his voice tight and controlled. "Now let me get ready, please. I want some breakfast." Scott nodded, helped him up, and then he left.

As Alan got ready, he thought about how he treated Scott. He hadn't meant to snap, but the dream he had last night had been terrible. He had stayed awake most of the night trying to shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen. He told himself he was being paranoid.

_Don't worry about it. Scott has your back and you have his._ Alan suddenly realized that this was why his father had sent him along. He wanted them to spend time together but he also wanted them to take care of each other. All at once his feelings changed. He still regretted the fact that he couldn't spend time with his friends, but he wasn't dreading the trip either. It was a chance to get to know his brother better and to let go of his feelings about the attack. As Alan left the room, he decided to talk to Scott and apologize before they hit New York.

TB

Scott was definitely worried about Alan. _What did I say? Was it something I did?_ He shook his head. _No. Alan will say something about it sooner or later._ When his brother was younger, Alan would always sulk for a while then, when he was ready, he would talk to one of his brothers about whatever was going on. Usually it was John who calmed Alan down. He always had just the right thing to say to his little brother. Scott shook his head as hecame into the kitchen area. _I wonder how much they talk to each other now? John probably calls every night considering how worried he is about Alan these days. But who isn't?_ The oldest Tracy brother sighed.

"I've made your breakfast Scott, dear. Is Alan coming down for some?" said Onaha, who was flipping some eggs over in pan, as he walked in.

"Yeah, but I'd give him a few minutes," he said and sat down with a sigh. His father walked in just then and sat down at the table next to his eldest. "Hey Dad. I just got Alan up and something's bothering him, but it's nothing to do with the trip. I don't think he slept well last night."

Jeff Tracy looked over to his eldest with an expression of unease and tiredness. "Well, I hope he's not getting sick or something," Jeff said. "And I'm sorry if I dumped him on you. I just don't want you by yourself." Scott nodded.

Alan walked in at that moment and slumped into a chair. He looked lost in thought; staring at the table. He didn't even look up when they both said hello to him.

"Alan," Scott said a little forcefully. Alan jumped and the former pilot's apprehension jumped up a couple notches. "Do you feel okay?"

The teenager nodded. "Oh, yeah I'm fine. Hi Dad. Sorry, I'm kind of tired. Where's breakfast?"

"Right here Alan, dear. Goodness, is food all you boys think about? And I want to see you eat at least most of that. You're starting to look frightfully thin these days," chided Onaha with a frown.

All of the Tracy boys were naturally skinny and muscular. So Scott was slightly startled to find that Alan had indeed lost some weight. That was not a good sign. Alan was quite possibly the most exuberant of the Tracy boys, short of Gordon, and had the biggest appetite of them all. He glanced at his father. From the expression on the older man's face, he knew that his dad had just noticed too.

"Yes ma'am. I'll try," Alan said seriously.

After breakfast they got everything ready to go and headed for the silos. They would be taking Tracy One to New York and Parker would be piloting for them. Lady Penelope had been residing at the island for a few weeks and Parker was grabbing the chance to do something other than sit by the pool.

Once they reached Tracy One's hanger, Jeff pulled Scott to the side while Alan went to go say goodbye to his brothers, who were waiting by Tracy One. "Son, I want you to keep an eye on your brother. The fact that he's not eating right bothers me. He just seems so…distant since the attack. That's the other reason he is going with you." The former astronaut looked troubled. "Try to get through to him Scott. I tried, but it just ended up in another argument, like always." Jeff gave a half grin. "I think he inherited the most Tracy stubbornness out of all five of you." Scott gave a smirk at that.

"No doubt about that. And yes, I will look after him. He's got all of us worried." Scott pulled his father into a rough hug, not allowing the bigger emotions show. _It's the Tracy way of life. Never show your true emotions, _said his sub-conscience. Scott's brain registered that there was something wrong with that statement, but it was ignored. Trying to shake off the feeling of paranoia, but not quite succeeding, he walked with his father over to where his other brothers had gathered.

Gordon was talking excitedly to Alan while Virgil was loading some luggage on to the plane. He stopped abruptly as his oldest brother and his dad got within hearing range. This added to Scott's interest in the discussion, which was no doubt about the latest prank between the terrible two.

"Planning Virgil's death Gordon?" asked Scott with a playful smile.

The young prankster glanced at his brother with a mischievous glint in his green eyes. "Now why on earth would you suspect something like that dear brother of mine? I'm a perfect angel!" Gordon said with an innocent look on his face.

Scott rolled his eyes. "What did you do, put a frog in his bed?"

Gordon tried to look highly offended but the grin on his face told otherwise. "Please Scott, don't insult me. I'm a professional."

"Oh, really? I thought you were…what was the phrase…a perfect angel."

"So you caught me. But do you really want to know?"

Scott thought a moment about the consequences of knowing what went on inside his brother's head and decided he really didn't. "No I really don't."

After a few minutes of exchanging comments, rough hugs, and hair ruffling, Alan and Scott were on their way to New York City. The last thing Scott heard was somebody mumbling, "Let's just hope they don't kill each other by the end of the week." He smiled.

TB

Down on the beach, Tin-Tin Belegrant watched Tracy One fly off into the distance. She sighed. Only she knew how deeply the Hood affected Alan. On some nights, when she couldn't sleep, she would seek out the youngest Tracy. She would usually find him staring out into the ocean from his balcony.

Alan had told her how much his nightmares affected him, how much they hurt him. He sounded so vulnerable and sad. It hurt Tin-Tin to see him like that and she knew that the rest of his family was picking up on his distress. Of course, being the Tracy that he was, he told her not to tell anyone. But she was relived that he had talked to her about it.

Tin-Tin really liked Alan, despite his sometime immaturity. He had some pretty amazing qualities. He was fiercely loyal and compassionate. He had determination and stubbornness, too. He cared about things that most people wouldn't even think about. And as she watched the speck in the distance, she really hoped that he liked her back.

**So the plot thickens!! Not really, but it will! Review! You know you want to.....**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! In this chapter we get to meet the jerk with evil plans.....**

**Disclaimer: It would be awesome, but no, I sadly do not own the Thunderbirds.  
**

Chapter 3

Everything was going smoothly. His plans were falling into place. Now all he needed was for his target to arrive in the crowded airport. He watched as parents, children and security guards swarm past him in a rush to get to their next destination. It was loud and chaotic but there was a general rhythm to the madness.

He looked to his left. A man of medium height with short brown hair had appeared next to him. This man was no doubt in his mid forties, with a pair of glasses sitting on his straight nose in front of dull, gray eyes. An impassive expression covered his face.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Daily?" he asked the newcomer. Before answering, Daily pushed his glasses up higher on his nose. His eyes shifted nervously across the room.

"I have double checked with my sources and it appears that there are now two people coming, not one." Daily cleared his throat. "I have direct conformation on this. The extra seems to be the youngest Tracy, Alan." He coughed slightly. "I believe that this would be cause for a pay raise, as our agreement only took care of the first person."

"Of course, Mr. Daily. You will receive the money once we have finished our little operation." He smiled. This was exactly why he had hired Andrew Daily. All that mattered to him was the money involved. He had gone to great lengths to get this man and was not about to let him slip away. Not when he had everything going his way.

This was going to be his greatest revenge on the man who let his wife die.

About a year ago, he and his wife had been living happily in an apartment in upstate New York. Then one night, some idiot had been smoking and had dropped the still burning cigarette butt on to the flammable carpet. Needless to say, the entire building went up in flames. International Rescue was called and the one person they didn't save was his wife.

They let her die in those terrible flames.

Since then he had done extensive research on the Thunderbirds. It had taken him half a year but around January he had made a breakthrough. He had attended one of the Thunderbird's rescues that had taken place in a collapsed mine. After everyone had been saved, one of the operatives had called a meeting in the shadow of Thunderbird Two with one of his team members. It was a goldmine of information. The first operative had taken his helmet off due to a crack that had formed on the side of the piece of equipment while he was in the mine. It turned out to be Gordon Tracy, son of the billionaire Jeff Tracy.

After that, he began to study the team closely as they worked together and what he saw made the puzzle of International Rescue fit together perfectly. They worked like a family. There were indications of it in the way that they had moved and gestured.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The Tracy family lived on an island in the middle of the ocean. Where better to hide a secret organization? Jeff Tracy was extremely wealthy, too, so they had the funds and the resources to build the Thunderbird machines. Yes, it made perfect sense.

He watched from his bench as his targets came into view. The older one was apparently steering the other through the airport as if he had done it a thousand times. Ah, brotherly protection. It would seem that he would have to be wary of the older brother, seeing as he didn't know what the boy would do to protect his younger sibling. But otherwise, this would work fine.

"Follow them and make sure you are not seen," he said to two burly men to his left. "If you are, you'll answer directly to me." They both gave curt nods and left.

It was all so very perfect. He would make Jeff pay for the loss of his wife. And what better way to do that than to take, not just one, but two of his sons away from him? He, David Charles Richardson, would have his revenge on International Rescue.

TB

(40 minutes earlier)

Scott sighed as he sat in the lounge area of Tracy One. It had been pretty quiet since they had left the island. Alan was helping Parker in the cockpit and Scott, who had promptly fallen asleep once they had taken off, was now awake.

He watched silently as his younger brother walked in and sank into one of the chairs. Scott couldn't help but notice that he looked a little exhausted but, remembering how their conversation went that morning, he decided not to press it. This in mind, he was almost surprised at Alan's words.

"Sorry for the way I treated you this morning, Scott."

"What?" The former pilot blinked at the abrupt apology.

Alan snorted at his brother's expression. "Are you deaf? I said, I'm sorry. Look, I know now why Dad sent me with you and I agree. I was just being selfish and I know it. Besides," he sat back into the chair, "I could do with a good vacation." Then Alan put his head into his hands and muttered something about 'getting more sleep'.

This only proceeded to worry Scott further. "Alan, please tell me. Are you getting any sleep at all? Is it the nightmares?"

After a few tense, silent moments, Alan raised his head at the last question and Scott was shocked to see tears in his baby brother's blue eyes.

"They're terrible, Scott, absolutely terrible." Alan's voice shook, even though it was obvious he was trying to hide it. "In the dreams, everyone dies, and I'm left all alone. Then I hear his voice, the Hood, telling me that I will always be alone. That no one loves me. And it hurts so much, Scott, it really hurts." By this time the tears were freely falling. "Then I find myself hanging over the Mole again but then, just before I fall, I wake up…and…I…"

Scott couldn't take it anymore. He got up, went over to his brother, and hugged him fiercely. "You're never alone, Allie. We all love you. More than you'll ever know." How long had this been going on? How long had they not noticed that their brother was in so much emotional pain? He waited until the tears had stopped and let go of his brother. Then something occurred to him. "What did you mean by 'hanging over the Mole'?"

Alan's expression went from tearful, to confused, then to one of understanding. "Did Dad ever tell you what happened?" Scott nodded. "I guess he didn't want to worry you guys with the end then."

Now it was Scott's turn to be confused. "What are you talking about?"

In a couple short sentences Alan described the scene that took place over the Thunderbird machine.

"And Dad never told us? I'm gonna kill him!" Scott was just barely holding in his temper. _He had no right!_ Then, with total realization, _I almost lost my baby brother twice to that psychopath!_ Suddenly the eldest Tracy brother could not keep his eyes off of Alan.

"Scott, please, be reasonable. I doubt Dad wanted to relive his son almost dying."

Scott looked up at Alan. His brother almost seemed detached.

His natural instincts took over. "Alan, I want you to get some sleep and eat something. You aren't getting enough of either."

Alan's vacant look changed to one of mock threatening. "Are you trying to mother me, Scott? I swear you even have that face you get when you…" The pillow that was thrown in his face cut off the rest of his words.

"Yes, Alan, I am. Trust me, this is the one time you'll hear me say it. Now get some sleep. I'm going to help Parker."

As he settled on to the couch, Alan asked, "So why are we going to New York anyway?"

Scott rolled his eyes. "I have to finish up some legal stuff with one of our contacts there. It will take up to two days. Then we will have the rest of the week to ourselves to do whatever we want. Maybe we could see the Statue of Liberty or something."

"Yeah that'd be cool." He was already drifting off.

"Sleep well, Sprout." _And thanks for opening up to me, _he thought as he walked into the cockpit. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

**Soooo, what do you think? Don't hesitate to tell me! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and special thanks to Little Miss Bump for beta'ing this story. :) I promise, one more chapter of feelings then there is finally some action! Review!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey ya'll. I'm so, so sorry for the long wait. School is torture. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Thunderbirds. But if you let me borrow them, I promise I'll put them back...sooner or later...**

* * *

Chapter 4

Once Alan and Scott had gotten out of the busy airport, they got a cab and went to their hotel. The contact that they were seeing lived just outside the city, so their father had booked them a place to stay in the north part of New York City.

They checked in at the front desk and took the elevator to the third floor. After unpacking their clothes and raiding the mini fridge, they decided to take a swim in the indoor pool located on the first floor past the lobby. Alan had noticed it on the way in.

"I wish Gordo was here. He would love this swimming pool. It's like, Olympic sized," Alan stated after swimming a couple of laps. He backed up against the edge. "But it's nothing compared to our pool at home. I wonder what the guys are doing?"

Scott glanced over at his brother from a few feet away. "Aw, is baby Alan homesick?" he asked with a sly grin on his face as he began to tread water expertly. In reality, he was still concerned about his brother's well being. Even though Alan had slept on the plane, he still looked a bit tired. And Scott also knew that his brother didn't like to be perceived as weak just because he was the baby of the family. So he let it go.

"No, grown up Alan is fine and is wondering if his brothers are out on…" Alan stopped himself before he went too far. "Wondering if his brothers are out on vacation," he finished. "I'd give up a whole lot right now to be flying again, if you catch my drift."

The former Air Force pilot nodded his head and sighed. "You and me both, bro. But One is mine. You only copilot it."

Alan rolled his eyes at his brother's possessive nature of the speedy aircraft. "I meant Three, you nitwit. I mean, jeez, you're supposed to be the F.C. of the business. How did you get the job with brains like that?" he asked, while he fought to not laugh out loud.

Scott just leaned back into the water until he was floating and closed his eyes. "With skill, Alan, with skill."

Alan waited a moment before making his move. He silently sank underwater and moved beneath his older brother's body. Two seconds later he reached up and grabbed Scott's waist pulling him beneath the surface. Five seconds after that he was sitting on the edge of the pool laughing at Scott who was still floundering in the water. "Skills…Scott…skills," he managed to get out between snickers.

Scott threw him a loaded look before a small smile appeared. At least Alan was still well enough to pull a joke on him.

* * *

Monday passed by with no problems. They got all the paperwork straight and took a short walk in Central Park before returning to the hotel. They ordered a pizza and watched action movies all night until Alan conked out on the floor and Scott could barely keep his eyes open, let alone make it to his bed. At seven in the morning they woke up and they were quite amused at the sight of each other's positions.

Tuesday morning came and went. They made their way to the Tracy Enterprises building that was located in the city to 'finish the boring stuff', as Scott put it. Almost as soon as they were out of the building, Scott groaned and said, "I _never_ want a desk job. Way to much paper, not enough action."

"Just wait until dad puts you in charge of Tracy Enterprises."

All Alan got in response was another groan and a swat to the back of his head.

* * *

Virgil was agitated. "It's too quiet around here," he said out loud to himself as he walked through the main villa, past the pool. Gordon, who was toweling off after a swim, heard him and threw a damp arm across his brother's shoulders.

"Well of course, Virge, what would you expect with the 'wild child' gone? I can't pull any good pranks till he's back. Not that I would ever do anything of the sort," said Gordon with an innocent look when Virgil raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, right, Gordon. Whatever you say."

"Yep, what I say goes, and I might have something planned involving Two and a whole lot of pink."

Virgil stopped and gave him a guarded look. "You wouldn't."

"I most definitely would," Gordon said quite cheerfully.

"Over my dead body."

"Over whose dead body?" All of the sudden there was a new voice in their conversation. Gordon looked around wildly for a moment before he saw the smiling face of John Tracy staring up at him from his wrist communicator.

"Oh, hi, John. Nice to see you. How are things going up there? Is everything okay?" asked Gordon, switching the topic.

The platinum-haired Tracy sent his younger brother a frustrated glare. "You're not answering my question. Whose dead body?"

"Mine," answered Virgil. "He says he's going to paint my 'bird _pink_."

"I was only going to-"

"Jeez, you're such a-"

"I can't believe you're-"

"John, will you please-"

"Boys! That's enough," Jeff Tracy's voice cut across the noise as he walked in on his boys' argument. "All of you act like a bunch of four year olds. It's a wonder you haven't killed each other yet."

"But Dad…" rang out three voices.

Jeff shook his head firmly. "I said enough. Now, there's an emergency. A couple of people are trapped in a cave in the Himalayas. We need to get in there fast. Let's move."

As they all set into action mode, Jeff couldn't help but think about his two missing boys. _Even with no Alan to yell at and no Scott to do the yelling, my home is still a madhouse. Oh well, you win some, you lose some._ He just hoped that his boys were safe for the time being.

* * *

He kept hearing that deep penetrating voice in his dreams. Dreams that were starting to turn into restless nightmares. He could see the Hood again, just like he was back down in the Thunderbirds' silos, desperate for a plan of action that would keep them alive. But he was slipping; he could feel the horrible tugging on his mind as he struggled to keep his thoughts shielded from the monster that had invaded his home. He could hear the man's cold and heartless laughter echoing in the confines of his mind.

_You will always be alone, Alan. No matter what your brother says. Always alone._

Alan woke up with a start. Sweat was glistening on his forehead and the voice was still resounding in his head. He looked at the clock, which read 3:12, then sideways at his brother, asleep on the other bed. _I can't go to sleep again._

"Scott," he whispered loudly. It earned him a grunt from his brother.

"Scott," he tried again, a little louder, and despised the fact that there was a tremor in his voice. Scott, being the overprotective brother that he was, was very attuned to all the general noises, facial expressions, and discomforts of his younger siblings. All it took was that one noise of fear and he was up and listening.

"What? What's wrong?" The older Tracy peered through the darkness to try and discern his brother's form on the opposite bed.

"Listen, I, uh, need to take a walk. I can't sleep." He felt his brother's gaze on the back of his head. Alan realized he was waiting for an explanation. "Nightmares," he ground out through clenched teeth.

"Let's take a walk outside." Alan just stared at his eldest brother when he heard the 'let's' part of that statement. "I'm not letting you go out by yourself at this time of night, so don't give me that look," said Scott with a frown.

"Fine." _I guess I'm still a kid who can't take care of himself._

The two dressed silently and efficiently. When the boys were ready, they crept out into the hallway and locked the door behind them.

As they walked downstairs and into the lobby, Alan could feel his brother's worried glances starting to burn a hole in his head. He ignored it and set his jaw in an annoyed frown. It was deathly quiet on the first floor. Nothing moved and even the desk guard was snoozing lightly. They didn't make a sound as they exited the building.

About half way down the sidewalk, Scott broke the silence. "How long has this been going on Sprout?" It was spoken quietly, almost tentatively.

Alan almost stopped short with surprise but kept walking as if the question didn't bother him. It was a few moments before he answered. He blew out a long breath. "A couple weeks," he confessed.

It became quiet again, or as quiet as a street in New York could get. A street lamp flickered. A few cars passed by. Alan could practically feel the concern radiating from his older brother.

It happened very suddenly. As they rounded the corner, out of nowhere, someone grabbed Alan from behind. He could feel the man's tough muscles and strength. He also felt a rough cloth shoved in front of his face and smelt an acrid smell that burned his nose and made his vision flicker. Alan struggled against the man but it was no use. The last thing he heard was his brother shouting, "Let him go!" before another man stepped up behind him and hit Scott on the head with a bat. And the last thing he saw was his brother's body lying motionless on the ground. Then everything went black.

* * *

Scott woke up with his head pounding. _Uhh…where am I? Why does my head hurt so much?_ He opened his eyes carefully and looked around him. He seemed to be in some sort of garage. There were car parts and tools scattered everywhere and there was a shiny, small, black car sitting near the entrance. Shelves lined the walls with gardening tools lying on them and the cabinets overflowed with miscellaneous items. He couldn't see anything through the grimy windows except the faint outline of a house.

Suddenly it hit him. _We were kidnapped! Where's Alan? If they hurt him…_He shut down that line of thought. _Don't dwell on it. Come on, Scott, you're the Field Commander, think of something!_ But nothing would come. He tried sitting up but his stomach turned and he lay back down. Both his wrists and his ankles were tied and he struggled against them to no avail. This went on for several minutes until he stopped, exhausted. Blood trickled from the cut on the back of his head and he wondered vaguely if he had a concussion. His wrists stung from where the ropes had cut into his skin. He hoped that wherever his brother was, Alan was fairing better than him.

* * *

Jeff Tracy sighed, set his pen down, and put his face between his hands. Sometimes there was just too much work. He raised his head and gazed fondly at a picture on his desk. It was a photo of all his boys messing around with each other. Scott had Virgil in a headlock with a big grin on his face. Alan and Gordon were mock wrestling with each other on the floor, while John stood by laughing at them all.

He was amazed at how much they all looked and acted like Lucy. Especially Alan. He inherited the looks and the attitude. Then he sighed again as he thought about his youngest son. Alan had changed so much since the attack on their family, becoming a much more mature and responsible young man. Not that Jeff regretted this; in fact it was a nice change from the old immature Alan of a couple months ago. But ever since then he had also become more withdrawn, less likely to speak his mind like he had used to. This was what he worried about the most. Jeff desperately hoped that someone would be able to get through to him and find out what the problem was before he stopped talking altogether.

The phone rang suddenly and Jeff, who was quite lost in his thoughts, nearly jumped out of his skin. Shaking his head at his own depressing mindset, he picked up the phone on the third ring, recognizing the I.D. number. It was Marcy, his secretary at the New York branch of Tracy Enterprises.

"Hello, Mr. Tracy. It's Marcy."

The astronaut smiled. "How many times must I ask you to call me Jeff?" There was only a tone of amusement in his voice. The Tracy family was Marcy's only family. Her husband had died a couple years ago and she had no children. Despite this she loved the Tracys, especially Gordon and Alan, and acted as though they were her own. The joke was that she took a special liking to the terrible two because they were pranksters after her own heart. Marcy was a very fun person to be around. But right now she was all business.

"However many times you need to until you realize that I will keep calling you 'Mr. Tracy'. That, however, is not the reason for my call. I'm a little worried about the boys, actually."

Jeff's heart rate sped up. That was a standing joke among his sons and they chose to exploit it daily. They were trying to see how many times their father heard the words 'hurt', 'worry', and 'the boys' in the same sentence before he gave himself a heart attack. As of the last time he heard, his sons were only giving it a few years.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

"Well, I don't know if it's something you should get overly worried about, but the boys didn't check in this morning. I checked the hotel and they weren't there either. But it's probably nothing. They may have just forgotten." She sounded doubtful of her own words.

Jeff also doubted that his perfectionist son, Scott, would forget something his father had told him to do. Being in the Air Force then going out on missions for I.R. had made him very obedient to orders. Forgetting to call in was not something Scott would overlook, or Alan for that matter. Both of his sons knew it was important. Ever since the attack on the island, Jeff had made the boys take extra precautions and security measures were increased at all sites of his business and on Tracy Island. They never wanted to be caught in such a trap again.

The former astronaut could feel a deep unease spread through him. Something wasn't right. His boys were in some kind of trouble and he had no way of knowing what was happening.

"Wait until noon, Marcy, and if they don't check in before then, well…we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

After exchanges reassurances and goodbyes, Jeff hung up and stared once more at the family photo. _Oh, Lucy, keep our boys safe. Wherever they are._

* * *

**Tell me what you think!**


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